Wire forming apparatus



sept. 1o, 1940. H. w. LARSQN 2,214,025

WIRE FORMING APPARATUS Filed March 4v, 1959 Mi I ae 6. A 622 625 5) WMU.:

ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 1.0, 1940 FORMING APPARATUS kHomer W.--La.rson, Downers Grovegillr; assignor. to

. Western: Electricy Company, Incorporated, .New

, York, Ni Y., acorporation of New York Application March 4,

.. "18-Claims.

""This'invention relates to wire forming appavratus, and `more -`p'alrticularly to apparatus for forming solder "rings" 'from a continuous length "'of solder wire. 5 An object 'of the invention is to provide a simple, inexpensiveandefiicient apparatus for forming 'Wire rings from a continuous length of wire.

One lembodiment of the inventioncontemplates the provision of anapparatus for "forming'rings l0 of'solder Wire from a continuous' lengtli'of soider Wire,y 'Wlierein'the free end Aof the `solder Wire is ntermittentlyied to a Winding arbor Ormandrel which is intermittently rotated 'througlif'approximately one revolution, after which 4the Vcontinuous length and stripped from the mandrel.

'Other features -and"advantages of the inven- 'tion will becomeapparentV from Ythe :followingv den tailed description When read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in lwhich Fig'. lis a side view, partlyl in section, of a solder ring"- ior'ming apparatus embodying'the invention;

Fig. 2 is afragmentary vertical section on line 25 24-2o'fFig. 1;

Fig. 3 lis a'sectionalview similar toFig. Z'with Vthe several parts shown in the positions occupied by themimm'ediately after the completion'cf a f soldering ring; 30 Fig. 4 i's` an enlarged detail section on line llLl-l ofFig 2;

"Figi 5"is an enlarged fragmentary section on line 5-5*ofFig`. 2;'

Fig; 6 is an enlargedplanview of a ringfof solder' Wire produced bythe apparatus of Athe present invention, and

' Fig'. 7 illustrates how such a ring of solder Wire may be employed for soldering a' nut to a metal strip. 40 The apparatus illustratedin the drawing may be` usedadvantageouslyfor makingsmall rings'of solder Wire, such as illustrated in Fig. 6, from a continuous length of solder Wire. solder Wire may be useful for'manypurposes, for example, for `soldering a nut II to a metal strip I2, as shown in Fig. 7. The invention, however, is obviously capable of other applications. Y

As shown in the drawingthe apparatus coni- 50. prises a vertical cylinder I4, the lower end of which surrounds and is rigidly attached to a circular bearing portion I5 of a supportingbracket IBL! The bracket is 'attached to the uppertend of an upstanding arm-I1, a portion of which is 55 shown in Fig.-

By meanstof the arm I'If. the

formed' ring of "solder Wire'is evered `from the l Such rings of i 1939, Serial No? 259,719

apparatus is attachable to4 a suitable table or pedestal (not shown).

The supportingv bracket is" formedwith a second bearing portion I8 spaced below vthe bearing por-` y tion I5, and the two bearing portions 'are provided'` 5 with vertically aligned circular apertures for slidably and rotatably" accommodating a 'vertical shaft `2d. The upper end of this shaft 'isSlidable and rotatable in a downwardlyprojctiiig'tubular portion 2l of a reciprocatoryfpiston22.`"`The pis-10 t0n is Verticallyslidable within theupperportiOn of the cylinder, .but is'prev'ented froniturning therein by a key 24 (Fig.l 1). V4Theupp'er portion of shaft is provided with a' spiral'groove' adapted, to cooperate' with an' inwardly proect ing pinv'ZG in1 tlie'tubularpo'rtion oi'the'piston. Through this pin and spiral groove connection the shafty 2U! is `rotatcd Vuponlreciprocation "of the piston.

The piston is urged upwardly in"the"cy1inder.20 by a coil s'pring'TVdisposed 'inthe cylinder below Athe piston, as shown. The spring 2'IV normally holds thepistonin its uppermost position against anV adjustable stop"screw "fin'fthe top Tof' the cylinder. A fluid under "pressure, preferably.` 25

compressed air', 'is' employed to ino'vehtlie` vpiston downwardly against""the opposing forceof (the spring.""`The compressedtair maybeintr'OduCed into the upper end'of"thelcylin'derthrough a pipe l 29' provided with a 'suitable manually'or au130 tomatic'ally 'operated valve""llwhereby compressed'air fmaybe admitted to and "exhausted from the upper"end'oftliecylinder. Y

A sleeve 3 is" iixe'dt'o vthe' shaft' l'interniediate its ends andatits lower end'tthe sleeve is formed. 35 with 'an outwardly-projecting 'iiange "-3I which is adapted to engage the undersideof' bearing y:I5 andV thereby 'limit the upward" movement of' the y shaft.4 `The` sleeve `30extends''upwardlytthrough the bearing "i5 and "is of'such `4lengtlr'that''its 40 upper end"is`slightly above tl'reuppersurfaceoi Vthe bearing when "the" shaft is in' its 'l'owermost position; yas 'shown' in'"Fig. 3'." *Immediately below the" sleeve 30, a'icollar'ii'is looselymounted'pn the' shaft `and a"coilfspring'"33"is'interposedfbe tween the collar andthe"lowefbearingdd lThe spring "'33 serves to "normally hold `theshaft and col-lar' in" their "uppermost positions; as shown in Fig. 2. Thershaft is' formed* at its lower end with al 50 concentric tubular or sleeveelikeportion-34` Within which a winding arbor orj mandreli isslidably rnounted. A'pinirisiixedftothe mandrel and projects t-herefromfintoavertical slot 3l in-l the `tubular'portion otfthe shaft-L ThislFpin-fand-slot;.55

connection rpermits a limited amount of vertical movement of the shaft with respect to the mandrel and 'insures rotation of the mandrel with the shaft. A rcoil spring 33 is provided within the upper end of the tubular portion of the shaft. This spring serves to normally hold the mandrel in its lowermost position with respect to the shaft, as shown in Fig. 2. In this position the lower end ofthe mandrel projects below the lower end of the shaft. rihe projecting lower end portion of the mandrel is preferably serrated or knurled, as indicated at 39, for a purpose which will presently be apparent.

The supporting bracket i6 is formed at its left end (Figs. 2 and 3) with a forwardly projecting ange lill provided with a solder wire guiding passage l. A similar guide passage 62 is provided in the bearing I8 in line with the passage ill and tangential to the knurled lower end 39 of the mandrel, as shown in Fig. 4. Between the guide Y passages IH and 42, the solder wire is guided by a semi-circular groove lll (Fig. 5) in a forwardly projecting ledge llt of the supporting bracket.

" Means is provided for intermittently feeding the freev end of a continuous length of solder wire 48 'through the guide passage 4l, along guide groove 4d, and then through guide passage l2 to the knurled end of the mandrel. This means comprises a spring nger 5B attached to the for- Ward end of a slide 5l having a rearwardly provjecting flange 52 A(Fig. 5) adapted to slide in a guide groove 53 provided in the supporting bracket I6. A semi-circular wire receiving groove 54 is provided on the bottom edge of the slide.

During the movement of the slide toward the mandrel the spring nger 55 frictionally engages the solder wire and feeds it forwardly, but when the slide is retracted, the finger slides freely along the solder wire. The slide is urged forwardly by a coil spring 56 and is retracted by an oscillatory member 5l, which is pivoted at 5@ to the supporting bracket and has a depending portion 59 operatively engaging a slot 6G in the slide. A link 62 operatively connects the slide operating member 5l with the collar 32, so that when the collar is moved downwardly to the position shown in Fig. 3, the pivoted member 5l is lactuated to retract the slide. A pin and slot connection 34 is provided between the member 5l and connecting link 62, whereby the collar 32 is free to move upwardly to the position shown in Fig. 2, while the slide and pivoted member are permitted to remain in the positions shown in Fig. 3 until the shaft 20 arrives at its uppermost position.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows:

With the shaft .20 in its uppermost position, as shown in Figs. land 2, the free end of the solder wire 48 is advanced through the guide passage l2 into the cylindrical space fill immediately below thel tubular lower end of the shaft. The forward end of the solder wire is thus slightly squeezed between the knurled surface of the mandrel and the inner cylindrical surface of the bearing i8, since the wall thickness of the tubular portion 34 of the shaft is slightly less than the diameter of the solder wire. Then, by manual or automatic operationof the valve I9, air under pressure is admitted through the pipe 29 into the upper end of the cylinder, whereupon the piston 22 is moved downwardly, compressing the spring 2l. Due to the pin and spiral groove connection between the piston and the shaft 20, the latter is rotated by the downward movement of the piston. The Vmandrel 35 rotateswith the shaft,

V`causing the lend portion of the solder wire to be wound around the lower end of the mandrel, the knurled surface of which prevents slippage between the mandrel and the solder wire. The shaft and mandrel are rotated approximately one complete revolution, which is sucient to wind a complete ring 62 of solder wire around the knurled portion of the mandrel. The lower end of the depending tubular portion of the piston then engages the upper end of sleeve 30, thus moving the shaft 20 and collar 32 downwardly to the positions in which they are shown in Fig. 3. As the collar moves downwardly, the wire feeding finger 50 is retracted to the position in which 1t is shown in Fig. 3. As the shaft moves downwardly, the lower end thereof moves across the inner end of guide passage 42, thus severing the formed ring of solder wire from the continuous length. The mandrel moves downwardly with the shaft until its movement is arrested by a stop pin or abutment 85, whereupon further downward movement of the shaft causes the tubular portion 34 thereof to telescope the knurled portion of the mandrel and thereby strip the formed ring of solder wire therefrom. The Valve I9 is then operated to exhaust the compressed air from the upper end of the cylinder, whereupon the piston 22 is returned to its original position by spring 2l, and the shaft 20 and collar 32 are returned by spring 33 to their original positions, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. Simultaneously therewith the mandrel 35 is'returned by spring 38 to its original position, as shown in Fig. 2. As soon as the mandrel and shaft have returned to their original positions, the previously severed end of the continuous length of solder wire is again fed forwardly by the spring actuated feed finger into position to be engaged by the knurled portion of the mandrel, thus completing one cycle of operation of the apparatus.

When, as in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the solder rings are formed for the purpose of soldering a nut to a metal strip, the metal strip may be placed on a suitable support 66 so that the solder ring will drop and be properly positioned thereon when it is stripped from the arbor, as shown in Fig. 3. The support conveniently may comprise a conveyor or rotary carrier having a series of work holding positions adapted to be successively indexed to the solder ring receiving station. At each work receiving position a stop pin, such as 65, and suitable means for receiving and locating a metal strip, such as l2, may be provided. After receiving a ring of solder the metal strip may be indexed to another station where a nut may be placed over the ring of solder, as shown in Fig. 7. At still another work station, the metal strip, nut and solder ring may be heated sulciently to complete the soldering of the nut to the metal strip.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular embodiments thereof herein illustrated and described, but is capable of other applications within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a wire forming apparatus, a rotatable and endwise movable shaft having a tubular end portion, a mandrel slidably keyed within -said tubular portion and having a wire forming portion normally projecting beyond the tubular end of said shaft, and means for rotating the shaft and thereby the mandrel to form a wire on the said portion of the mandrel and for thereafterimparting an endwise movement to the shaft to strip the formed wire from the mandrel.

2. In a Wire forming apparatus, a rotatable mandrel, reciprocatory means for feeding an end portion of a continuous length of Wire to said mandrel, means comprising a reciprocatory member for rotating the mandrel to Wind the end portion of the Wire thereon, resilient means for moving the wire feeding means in one direction, and means responsive to a movement of the reciprocatory member for moving the wire feeding means in the opposite direction.

3. In a Wire forming apparatus, a support hav ing a circular aperture therein and a Wire guiding passage communicating With said aperture, a shaft having a tubular end portion slidable and rotatable in said aperture, a mandrel slidably keyed within the tubular end of said shaft and having a Wire forming portion projecting beyond said tubular end, means for feeding an end portion of a continuous length of Wire through said guide passage to the projecting portion of the mandrel, and means for rotating said shaft and mandrel to Wind said end portion of` the Wire upon said mandrel and for thereafter imparting an endwise movement to said shaft to sever the wound portion of the wire from the continuous length thereof.

4. In a Wire ring forming apparatus, a support having a circular aperture therein and a Wire guiding passage communicating with said passage, a shaft having a tubular end portion slidable and rotatable in said aperture, a mandrel slidably keyed Within said tubular portion and projecting beyond the free end thereof, means normally holding the shaft in a position in which the inner end of the Wire guiding passage is open to said aperture and the projecting end of said mandrel is adapted to receive a wire fed through said guide passage, means for feeding the free end of a continuous length of wire through said guide passage to said projecting end of mandrel, and means for rotating the. shaft and thereby the mandrel for Winding approximately one complete turn of the Wire around the projecting end of the mandrel and for thereafter imparting an endwise movement to said shaft to sever said turn of Wire from the continuous length and strip it from said mandrel.

tubular portion and normally projecting beyond the free end thereof, means for feeding the free end of a continuous length of solder Wire to the projecting portion of said mandrel, and means for rotating the mandrel to form a ring of solder Wire thereon and for thereafter imparting an endwise movement to said shaft to sever the formed ring of solder wire from the continuous length and strip it from the mandrel.

6. In a wire forming apparatus, a rotatable shaft having a tubular end portion, a mandrel slidably keyed with said tubular portion and havinga wire forming portion normally projecting beyond the tubular end of said shaft, and means for rotating the shaft and thereby the mandrel to form a Wire on said portion of the mandrel and for thereafter effecting relative endwise movement between the shaft and mandrel to strip the formed Wire from the mandrel.

7. In a Wire forming apparatus, a rotatable and endwise movable mandrel, a support for said mandrel having a wire guiding passage disposed substantially tangential to said mandrel, means for feeding an end portion of a continuous length of Wire through said guide passage to said mandrel, and means for rotating they mandrel to Wind the end portion of wire thereon and for thereafter imparting an endwise movement to said mandrel across said guide passage to sever the Wound portion of the Wire from the continuous length thereof.

8. In a Wire forming apparatus, a rotatable and endvfise movable shaft having a tubular end portion, a mandrel slidably keyed Within said tubular portion and having a Wire forming portion normally projecting beyond the tubular end of said shaft, means for feeding an end portion of a continuous length of Wire to said Wire forming portion of the mandrel, means for rotating the shaft and thereby the mandrel to Wind said end portion of the Wire on the said portion of the mandrel and for thereafter imparting an end- Wise movement to said shaft and mandrel to sever the Wound portion of the Wire from the continuous length thereof, and means for thereafter interrupting the endwise movement of the mandrel while the endwise mo-vement of the shaft continues to thereby strip the Wound portion of the wire from the mandrel.

HOMER W. LARSON. 

